Suffolk loves its libraries!

Suffolk Libraries is sharing feedback from Suffolk County Council’s recent consultation on the future of the library service which has highlighted how much residents value the current service. Nearly 6,000 people responded via the consultation survey with 93% of people being very satisfied (61.1%) or satisfied (31.9%) with the service.

This outstanding endorsement of the current offer, delivered by the charity Suffolk Libraries, is further backed up by independent research by the Audience Agency in 2023 that gave the organisation a Net Promoter Score of 86. Net Promoter Scores are a way of measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction. Experts say a score above 0 is good, above 20 is favourable, above 50 is excellent and above 80 is world class.

Suffolk Libraries was formed in 2012 to run the library service in Suffolk following the county council's decision to divest the service. Since then the charity has gone on to become a library sector leader delivering a number of noteworthy projects locally that have received significant national acclaim.

Suffolk Libraries was also the first library service in the UK to put a value on the impact of its work through a groundbreaking project with accountancy practice Moore Kingston Smith that highlighted the organisation generated £41 million of social value every year, which is over £6 of value for every £1 of tax payers or fundraised income spent.

Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries, said:

“We are delighted with the results of the recent Suffolk County Council consultation and see it as an endorsement of our approach over the last 12 years. People are at the heart of our service and these amazing statistics and feedback highlight the enormous power of what we offer and the positive impact on those that use it.

We are proud to be a Suffolk-based charity that works every day to make the lives of people in the county better. We offer a highly accessible, universal service that constantly flexes to meet the needs of people in our communities. We want to do even more and make sure that Suffolk’s libraries are a place where there is genuinely something for everyone long into the future.”

Suffolk Libraries has also been running its own detailed customer survey asking people to share their opinions of library staff, library activities and the value the service provides. Over 1,100 responses have been received and the organisation will be sharing highlights later this month.